1. Field of the Invention
The instant invention relates to a method and apparatus of moxibustion.
Moxibustion treatment, applying moxa, long used in oriental medicine, manifests significant curative effects on the pain of the body's nervous system including the motor nerve, autonomic nerve, sensory nerve or on pains from psychoneurosis. The effects of moxibustion occur because moxa contains many ingredients including adenine, choline and highly volatile thymol. When the moxa is burnt the above ingredients become vapor and are easily absorbed through the skin to the tissues of the body or blood, and effectively act on the cells of the human body. Moxibustion has the specific feature of improving bodily functions by the stimulation of heat.
2. Description of the Background
In a conventional moxibustion treatment, moxa is placed on a certain key point on the surface of the patient's skin and the moxa is burnt by fire. This method has merit in that skin tissue is burnt and a part of the dead tissue is absorbed from the skin into the blood vessel, causing various immunizing materials to be made in the blood. On the other hand, this method has deficiencies in that it causes severe pain at and near the key spot, it leaves burn scars on the skin and generates a burnt smell and further must be performed by a specialist in moxibustion.
To avoid causing burn scars, no-scar moxibustion came to be used. This method involves applying ginger, garlic, onion, leek, miso, etc., on the skin, upon which moxa is placed and burnt. This method does not cause the subject to feel so hot, and leaves no scar. However, as this method utilizes warm heat, it does not utilize the ingredient of moxa fully.